A few hours ago, I landed in Los Angeles, turned on my phone, and confirmed what you already know. Sony Pictures Television is replacing me as showrunner on Community, with two seasoned fellows that Iím sure are quite nice - actually, I have it on good authority theyíre quite nice, because they once created a show and cast my good friend Jeff Davis on it, so how bad can they be.

Whyíd Sony want me gone? I canít answer that because Iíve been in as much contact with them as you have. They literally havenít called me since the season four pickup, so their reasons for replacing me are clearly none of my business. Community is their property, I only own ten percent of it, and I kind of donít want to hear what their complaints are because Iím sure it would hurt my feelings even more now that Iíd be listening for free.

I do want to correct a couple points of spin, now that Iím free to do so:

The important one is this quote from Bob Greenblatt in which he says heís sure Iím going to be involved somehow, something like that. Thatís a misquote. I think he meant to say heís sure cookies are yummy, because heís never called me once in the entire duration of his employment at NBC. He didnít call me to say he was starting to work there, he didnít call me to say I was no longer working there and he definitely didnít call to ask if I was going to be involved. Iím not saying itís wrong for him to have bigger fish to fry, Iím just saying, NBC is not a credible source of All News Dan Harmon.

You may have read that I am technically ďsigned on,Ē by default, to be an executive consulting something or other - which is a relatively standard protective clause for a creator in my position. Guys like me canít actually just be shot and left in a ditch by Skynet, weíre still allowed to have a title on the things we create and ďhelp out,Ē like, I guess sharpening pencils and stuff.

However, if I actually chose to go to the office, I wouldnít have any power there. Nobody would have to do anything I said, ever. I would be ďofferingĒ thoughts on other peopleís scripts, not allowed to rewrite them, not allowed to ask anyone else to rewrite them, not allowed to say whether a single joke was funny or go near the edit bay, etc. ItísÖ.not really the way the previous episodes got done. I was what you might call aÖ.hands on producer. Are myÖ.periods giving this enoughÖ.pointedness? Iím not saying you canít make a good version of Community without me, but I am definitely saying that you canít make my version of it unless I have the option of saying ďit has to be like this or I quitĒ roughly 8 times a day.The same contract also gives me the same salary and title if I spend all day masturbating and playing Prototype 2. And before you ask yourself what you would do in my situation: buy Prototype 2. Itís fucking great.

Because Prototype 2 is great, and because nobody called me, and then started hiring people to run the show, I had my assistant start packing up my office days ago. Iím sorry. Iím not saying seasons 1, 2 and 3 were my definition of perfect television, Iím just saying that whatever theyíre going to do for season 4, theyíre aiming to do without my help. So do not believe anyone that tells you on Monday that I quit or diminished my role so I could spend more time with my loved ones, or that I negotiated and we couldnít come to an agreement, etc. It couldnít be less true because, just to make this clear, literally nobody called me. Also donít believe anyone that says I have sex with animals. And if thereís a photo of me doing it with an animal - Iím not saying one exists, Iím just saying, if one surfaces - itís a fake. Look at the shadow. Why would it be in front of the giraffe if the sun is behind the jeep?

Where was I? Oh yeah. Iím not running Community for season 4. They replaced me. Themís the facts.

When I was a kid, sometimes Iíd run home to Mommy with a bloody nose and say, ďMom, my friends beat me up,Ē and my Mom would say ďwell then theyíre not worth having as friends, are they?Ē At the time, I figured she was just trying to put a postive spin on having birthed an unpopular pussy. But this is, after all, the same lady that bought me my first typewriter. Then later, a Commodore 64. And later, a 300 baud modem for it. Through which I met new friends that did like me much, much more.

Iím 39, now. The friends my Mom warned me about are bigger now, and older, bloodying my nose with old world numbers, and old world tactics, like, oh, I donít know, sending out press releases to TV Guide at 7pm on a Friday.

But my Commodore 64 is mobile now, like yours, and the modems are invisible, and the internet is the air all around us. And the good friends, the real friends, are finding each other, and connecting with each other, and my Mom is turning out to be more right than ever.

Ah, shit, I still havenít called my fucking Mom.

Mom, Happy Motherís Day. I got fired.

Yes, Mom. AGAIN.

I guess it isn't any wonder why they shoved out 3 Community episodes at once, only signed on the next season for 13 episodes, and pushed it to Fridays with Whitney.

A few hours ago, I landed in Los Angeles, turned on my phone, and confirmed what you already know. Sony Pictures Television is replacing me as showrunner on Community, with two seasoned fellows that Iím sure are quite nice - actually, I have it on good authority theyíre quite nice, because they once created a show and cast my good friend Jeff Davis on it, so how bad can they be.

Whyíd Sony want me gone? I canít answer that because Iíve been in as much contact with them as you have. They literally havenít called me since the season four pickup, so their reasons for replacing me are clearly none of my business. Community is their property, I only own ten percent of it, and I kind of donít want to hear what their complaints are because Iím sure it would hurt my feelings even more now that Iíd be listening for free.

I do want to correct a couple points of spin, now that Iím free to do so:

The important one is this quote from Bob Greenblatt in which he says heís sure Iím going to be involved somehow, something like that. Thatís a misquote. I think he meant to say heís sure cookies are yummy, because heís never called me once in the entire duration of his employment at NBC. He didnít call me to say he was starting to work there, he didnít call me to say I was no longer working there and he definitely didnít call to ask if I was going to be involved. Iím not saying itís wrong for him to have bigger fish to fry, Iím just saying, NBC is not a credible source of All News Dan Harmon.

You may have read that I am technically ďsigned on,Ē by default, to be an executive consulting something or other - which is a relatively standard protective clause for a creator in my position. Guys like me canít actually just be shot and left in a ditch by Skynet, weíre still allowed to have a title on the things we create and ďhelp out,Ē like, I guess sharpening pencils and stuff.

However, if I actually chose to go to the office, I wouldnít have any power there. Nobody would have to do anything I said, ever. I would be ďofferingĒ thoughts on other peopleís scripts, not allowed to rewrite them, not allowed to ask anyone else to rewrite them, not allowed to say whether a single joke was funny or go near the edit bay, etc. ItísÖ.not really the way the previous episodes got done. I was what you might call aÖ.hands on producer. Are myÖ.periods giving this enoughÖ.pointedness? Iím not saying you canít make a good version of Community without me, but I am definitely saying that you canít make my version of it unless I have the option of saying ďit has to be like this or I quitĒ roughly 8 times a day.The same contract also gives me the same salary and title if I spend all day masturbating and playing Prototype 2. And before you ask yourself what you would do in my situation: buy Prototype 2. Itís fucking great.

Because Prototype 2 is great, and because nobody called me, and then started hiring people to run the show, I had my assistant start packing up my office days ago. Iím sorry. Iím not saying seasons 1, 2 and 3 were my definition of perfect television, Iím just saying that whatever theyíre going to do for season 4, theyíre aiming to do without my help. So do not believe anyone that tells you on Monday that I quit or diminished my role so I could spend more time with my loved ones, or that I negotiated and we couldnít come to an agreement, etc. It couldnít be less true because, just to make this clear, literally nobody called me. Also donít believe anyone that says I have sex with animals. And if thereís a photo of me doing it with an animal - Iím not saying one exists, Iím just saying, if one surfaces - itís a fake. Look at the shadow. Why would it be in front of the giraffe if the sun is behind the jeep?

Where was I? Oh yeah. Iím not running Community for season 4. They replaced me. Themís the facts.

When I was a kid, sometimes Iíd run home to Mommy with a bloody nose and say, ďMom, my friends beat me up,Ē and my Mom would say ďwell then theyíre not worth having as friends, are they?Ē At the time, I figured she was just trying to put a postive spin on having birthed an unpopular pussy. But this is, after all, the same lady that bought me my first typewriter. Then later, a Commodore 64. And later, a 300 baud modem for it. Through which I met new friends that did like me much, much more.

Iím 39, now. The friends my Mom warned me about are bigger now, and older, bloodying my nose with old world numbers, and old world tactics, like, oh, I donít know, sending out press releases to TV Guide at 7pm on a Friday.

But my Commodore 64 is mobile now, like yours, and the modems are invisible, and the internet is the air all around us. And the good friends, the real friends, are finding each other, and connecting with each other, and my Mom is turning out to be more right than ever.

Ah, shit, I still havenít called my fucking Mom.

Mom, Happy Motherís Day. I got fired.

Yes, Mom. AGAIN.

I guess it isn't any wonder why they shoved out 3 Community episodes at once, only signed on the next season for 13 episodes, and pushed it to Fridays with Whitney.

Not that NBC execs aren't total douches in this scenario for the way this was all handled, but this guy doesn't seem to be able to work too well with others, and not just Chevy. Reading articles about him, he doesn't sound very together.

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Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it - Mark Twain

Not that NBC execs aren't total douches in this scenario for the way this was all handled, but this guy doesn't seem to be able to work too well with others, and not just Chevy. Reading articles about him, he doesn't sound very together.

Yeah, I think he is pretty open about the fact that he sucks at managing people. Regardless, he was the creator of the series so without him it wouldn't exist, especially in the form we all like.

Yeah, surprisingly, NBC has been pretty cool with Community. It's gotten horrible ratings for years, and yet they've kept it in its time slot, very patient with it, hoping it'll take off, just like they were with The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Rec.

Yeah, surprisingly, NBC has been pretty cool with Community. It's gotten horrible ratings for years, and yet they've kept it in its time slot, very patient with it, hoping it'll take off, just like they were with The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Rec.

Well, except for keeping it off the schedule this year until deciding later to put it on mid-season with a 13 ep pick up, and then pulling the same for next year, but also dumping it into the Friday night death slot.

And, you know, letting the guy who created it and is very hands-on (Harmon is the show, essentially) get stomped all over.

Here was my take on the new season post Harmon (originally posted on OO):

I think I figured out what is missing for me.

When Harmon was in control of the show, I would often rewind numerous times during the show to catch the littlest of things. Small easter eggs that he would embed in scenes as nods to fans and nerds alike.

Last night would've been a constant rewind fest had Harmon been involved. But I rewound only once because I thought I saw something...and it turned out to be nothing.

The attention to detail is what's missing in my opinion. It's gone from being a show that you really have to pay attention to, to a show that you can just listen to most of the time.

Also, the romance subplots feel REALLY forced and out of place...as if the scripts were being passed through a focus group as ironically shown in last night's episode.

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Warning: You will see my penis. -Brian

Just remember: once a user figures out gluten noting them they're allowed to make fun of you. - Ceekay speaking in tongues.

The focus group moment did seem like a nod to what had happened, but who would have made that nod? Writers, I guess, but given the rest of the show, that seems like giving them way too much credit.

There was a poster at the convention. I don't remember what it was now, but I remember seeing some sort of word on it and thinking that it would have been something clever in the old days, but it was just limp here.

Hooray! The "gas leak year" is over. Even Pierce made it back, sort of (which was kind of remarkable). The show is back on track and hilarious again.

Not ten minutes into the show I had to pause as something struck me as so goddamned funny I couldn't hear anything else going on for a solid minute.

It will undoubtedly not seem as funny now, but it was Britta saying this: "That's like blaming owls because I suck at analogies."

They took a while before coming at the bad year. But then they did, rightly pointing out how all the characters had gotten off track and made fun of Scrubs Season 9 (the school year) in the process (Braff popped in for a VO cameo at the end, which was nice).

Second episode was also good, although I thought Abed went a little off the rails with the Cage impression.

I dropped Community entirely about 3 or 4 episodes into last season, and I know they're picking up shortly after the last season wrapped, but I don't feel like I missed anything. And I'm excited to have it back in good form.

However, know that it takes a while for the show to find its footing. More so than a lot of shows, in fact.

As an example, Britta was one of the most annoying characters I've ever encountered early on (my wife essentially stopped watching because of her). Then, mid-way through the first season, the other characters started talking about how annoying Britta was. Then they started ramping up her annoyances for comedic effect.

A lot of the show is like this. They threw a bunch of characters together then slowly started figuring out how all the pieces work together. Once they honed in on those things and tweaked them, it became a whole new show. The first handful of episodes are typical NBC Filler Sitcom fare (the stuff that gets forced on you between the shows you actually want to watch). Then they start turning it on its ear and brilliance ensues.

By the time you get to the missing pen episode, you'll be hooked.

Then you'll get to the season where Harmon left, and you'll shake your head in disbelief. Tears will come.

Hopefully the new season will continue with the tradition set by the previous seasons. So far so good.

Yeah, they were referencing a lot. The grocery bag drop was straight from Se7en, for example. Apparently, Annie referenced the Ass Crack Bandit in a campaign speech back in season 2, so they're even referencing themselves!

The Pierce "wake" may have been one of the best episodes ever. The dialogue was fantastic. I know Harmon doesn't write every word of every script, but his guidance can be seen in every episode in which he's involved. As we discovered last season, without him the show lacks any real soul (or depth).

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Warning: You will see my penis. -Brian

Just remember: once a user figures out gluten noting them they're allowed to make fun of you. - Ceekay speaking in tongues.

One of the big changes with Harmon back (and any well run show) is that the dialog gets really snappy. Actors talk quickly, one after another where appropriate, and vary it dramatically, or in this case, for comedic effect. It also helps mesh characters together better with how and why they interrupt each other. The previous episodes without Harmon all the dialog slowed down, as if the actors were talking to imbeciles, and they didn't really talk over each other as much. It's the kind of writing and directing that happens with generic TV.

Again, Harmon probably isn't directing every episode, but that tone from the top is putting people who can keep that pace going in the right places.

I posted this in the Agents of SHIELD thread, but that lack of pacing can be killer.

Anyway, so this last episode.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Book girl from the coat closet! So hot. What episode was she from?

The deaf girl and the spoiler rivalry. I love how they reference Abed's penchant for somehow getting close to these women.

What I love, too, is how they can create a running joke out of nothing. Case in point, that big, nerdy guy has now been used several times for panic-inducing screams (like Bear Dance). Not necessarily funny on its own, but it builds over time.

I also love when Community pokes fun at itself (Britta commenting on another girl that Abed will get intense about for a week who is never seen again).

While I laughed more than once, I have to wonder why Fillion wasn't used more. If you get a Fillion, use the Fillion for more than a couple of scenes, dagnabit! I would've loved to see him interact with Abed and especially Winger. I'm guessing it was a scheduling issue with Fillion's other show.

For some reason, I found Annie yelling "I MEAN EVERYTHING!" to the IT lady hilarious.

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Warning: You will see my penis. -Brian

Just remember: once a user figures out gluten noting them they're allowed to make fun of you. - Ceekay speaking in tongues.